His Green Archer
by CheshireBlue101
Summary: He didn't generally like the idea of having her as part of the team. Neither of them made it easy to be partners on a mission. They bickered...a lot. Eventually he warmed up to the idea of having her as a teammate. She got on his nerves, and she was an idiot. But she was his idiot. Mostly Wally/Artemis; (may continue to be) a network of one-shot drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

I'M WAY TOO ADDICTED.

This couples WAY too damn fluffy to not write for.

So enjoy~

**Disclaimer; I wish I did, but I DO NOT own Young Justice nor do I own its characters.**

* * *

Truly, it was hard for him to ever accept when his affections started going towards her.

She was stubborn, cold, sarcastic, and demeaning with the way she spoke to anyone-especially him.

But during _that _training exercise, he started to realize what kind of girl he really appreciated. Sure, he didn't want to believe-no, he KNEW he didn't like the relentless teasing he'd get from her, nor did he appreciate her lack of imagination.

In reality, she was relentless. She wouldn't step back from showing him up if she could, couldn't stop trying to get him to say he was wrong, which he would immediately object to, even though the majority of the time he was.

She had her moments.

The majority of the time, yeah, she was an ass.

But other times, that changed.

She cared. She stayed strong, even when she could be broken into tiny little pieces; she could fix herself back up again, like a puzzle. She only lied-and badly, at that-when she really didn't want anyone to pry or she wanted to do something without anyone else getting involved or getting hurt.

But she was still an ass.

Then, the training mission had shocked all of them.

It'd made him practically lose his mind.

He'd been blind with rage.

He couldn't get the idea of revenge out of his head, couldn't bear to hear Megan crying as Aqualad took out the machine that had taken her from them.

It hadn't been true.

It d been a training mission, created by J'onn and Megan, and they'd all been shocked when they were actually made to think about losing a teammate, nonetheless the entire team.

She had been the first to go during that exercise, and her death had psyched them out. They were family. They couldn't let each other go that easily.  
And when he'd woken up to see her sitting there, her gaze downcast as he watched her, he started to recognize the feelings he'd had all along burning deep inside him.

Yeah, he'd liked Megan, and he was a bit sad when she got with Connor. But like Kent hoped he would, he found his spitfire .

He found the one who would keep him grounded.

Who would wait an eternity for him if need be.

And she came in the form of a blonde haired, gray eyed, female archer who happened to wear green.

It didn't matter who her family was what kind of background she d come from. Her dad, mother, and sister had all been criminals.  
Her mother was retired after being crippled and imprisoned.  
Her dad was an idiot that couldn't see what he already had.  
And her sister had disappeared like the Cheshire cat she was.

That left her with nothing to hide from her friends, the ones who would never abandon her and keep fighting for her, like she would fight for them.

She was still an ass.

And they bickered...a lot.

And the majority of the time she won.

He loved her.

God, he loved her, and he'd do anything for her.

She was still an idiot.

But she was his idiot.

Though trying to protect her was like trying to protect any angry bear by shoving it in a cage.

He couldn't watch over her, the little wisp of a flame that she was, and try to keep her from going out. He couldn't try and turn that flame into a blaze.

Her attitude did that for her.

And honestly, it was pretty hot.

No pun intended.

She didn't need protection; she didn't need anyone to care for her.

All lies. He'd seen right through them.

She'd grown up without a real family to watch out for her, so he tried to make everything for her better.

And being the amazing, thoughtful person she was able to be when she didn't have to kick someone's butt, she watched out for every one of her teammates.

If she wanted to, he believed she could take down an army.

She was the greatest girlfriend he could ever have.

...she kept the fridge stocked too...

He was so spoiled.

Magic, fate, science, whatever it was out there that caused them to meet.

It didn't matter much to him anymore. Because something had brought the two of them together for a reason, maybe multiple reasons, and kept them a team.

All he knew was he'd found his spitfire-his Inza.

He'd fight for her any day, and he knew she was the same for him.

And he was going to make it last. Even if she had to wait an eternity, he'd always find his way back to his goddess of the hunt.

He'd always be there for Artemis.

* * *

Aaaaaaannnnnddd END! =D

Like I said at the beginning, I truly am addicted to this series right now.  
But L'gaan (however you spell it) and Megan (another way to take it, she did base her name on the Hello Megan! thing) as a couple truly pisses me off.

Beast Boy's so cute~

Anyways, I really want to see how Artemis and Aqualad fight against the team, more specifically Wally and Nightwing. And I want to see everyones reactions when Artemis turns out to be ALIVE. *insert Connor, Zatana, and Megan, throwing Wally, Aqualad and Nightwing into a wall here*

INNER TURMOIL.

Anyways, I hated editing this thing. Fanfiction takes out ALL the apostrophe's .

Cute and fluffy, from Wally's POV, it is a one-shot and will not be continued.

Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoyed this! Please R&R, I'd love to hear feedback ^_^

~Aoi~


	2. Chapter 2

SOOOO...I LIED.

I'M VERY SORRY

But it looks like, after that season finale, things have been left unsaid, and need to written if we're not getting a new season.

Damn you Cartoon Network, damn you

So here's another one-shot, from Artemis's point of view, after the results of "Endgame" :'')

*inside emotional turmoil here*

please don't kill me

**Disclaimer; **Young Justice belongs to Cartoon Network and creators at DC Nation. If it belonged to me, we'd have a season 4 to infinity scheduled, and Wally would be hinted at to still being alive, just stuck in the force stream.

* * *

I could feel the inner mechanisms inside of myself begin to break.

Each little individual thread connecting my heart seemed to snap in half; gears shifting and grinding against one another, rusty bolts loosening, wires fraying and sparking as each began to decay from age and over-exertion.

To say I was exhausted was an understatement.

On the team, I wasn't even "Artemis" anymore. Like I told Impulse –err, I guess he's Kid Flash now—but "Artemis" was Wally's partner. Maybe it was for the better, I'd thought, just to let myself go and keep fighting as a part of myself than none at all. If I'd stayed as the Team's archer, "Artemis" would be a total fake. I wouldn't even be there.

Each shot, no matter how precise it may be in real life, would have been an arrow soaring a mile above the target.

I wanted to fight, I wanted to keep his memory alive, and not let his sacrifice be in vain. Barry had pulled off his mask in remorse, running home before Batman had a chance to debrief us on other circumstances going on with the Reach outside of our galaxy, or new hints at what the Light had in store for the Justice League and the Team.

Personally, Impulse taking on Wally's alias of "Kid Flash" tore through me like a bullet to the stomach.

A million little needles seemed to prickle up my arms, sweat glistening on my forehead, hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. With his red hair, and the gold and scarlet uniform, he really could have been Wally for a second.

All I needed was one second.

Just to say…something.

"Goodbye."

"I love you."

Or maybe to beg, to plead, to mercilessly pray to every known deity out there, for one last chance to see him.

To not be given a last will and testament from the lips of his uncle.

To not have to appear at his parents' house out of the blue, surprisingly alive, and not even be able to speak. Only to lift my head, meet their eyes, and start to cry.

It was ridiculous.

I'd strived to make myself strong, to not let even the smallest of wrinkles pull me back. Back when I first joined the team, I'd made sure that each thread had been pulled taught, like the metal strings on a guitar, and to never fail—to never break. The Artemis from back then never would have let something like this happen.

She never would have let it affect her, even when the Reds attacked and her friends were almost killed in front of her while she had a moment of pure cowardice in a ventilation shaft over ten feet above their heads.

She would have been the first to shoot the last arrow.

So why?

Why was it that one single, infernal, god-damned, petty, self-absorbed _Baywatch_, do this?!

To HER - the previous Artemis?

To ME?!

How could he leave me like that?!

I'm sitting in the living room of our apartment in Palo Alto.

Batman's been getting me out of class at Stanford – an extreme bout of the flu, or something – and I feel like I'm back in Gotham, attending a new private school with a full scholarship, re-meeting Richard "Dick" Grayson. One of my best friends – Nightwing really always did have my back, then and now.

He and I haven't talked much since…the incident. My phone buzzed about an hour ago, signaling an email. That's how he and I are holding up – emails.

It's sad when you know the only way your best friend and you can communicate is through email, or text. We can't even look each other in the eye anymore without really breaking down. Last time we saw each other, was when the stage of 'depression' (as Zatanna wanted to call it) hit that all I felt was endless fury.

I'd kicked him so hard, he'd hit the door, buckling it, throwing it backwards through its splintering frame, and rolled straight into Conner, who then proceeded to fall on top of Wolf before a mass ball of the Team's male members were tangled together into one spherical pretzel.

If I'd stayed focus on the anger and denial, I would have noticed how I ended up rolling on the ground laughing so hard it hurt to breathe.

In the end, while Zatanna worked to untangle the guys, M'gann took me to her room.

By then I'd stopped laughing. And started crying; I cried until my throat was raw, my eyes so swollen it hurt to blink, my nose stopped up and dripping, cheeks an angry slash of red.

_"The zeta radiation proves she's alive!"_

This was it; this was my failsafe. This was who "Artemis" was intended to be from the start; remaining strong, coherent, and never unnerved by the lack of a presence next to me. Nowadays, it lasted until I began to shatter.

That was about two weeks ago, now that I recall it.

I bite my lip, petting our pit bulls head, his somber expression making me roll my eyes. Since Wally never came home, my little buddy had gone to sleeping at the foot of his side of the bed. Every night, before I fell asleep, I hugged his pillow to my chest and just breathed.

His scent –however faint—was still there, and I was trying to make it last for as long as I could. Other times, I took one of his old shirts out of the drawers and laid it over my own pillow, falling asleep to a dream that could have been real.

Feeling his arms warm around me, his face buried in my hair, nose trailing along my neck; messy red locks would tickle my face and I'd laugh against his chest, forgetting there ever was a team, that there ever was an "endgame."

The dog snorts, giving me a look that I took as "how dare you only pet my head, peasant," before turning and trotting into the bedroom, successfully kicking it closed behind him. I swear, sometimes that dog is turning into a canine-version of Wally. Minus all the food-whoring the latter always committed.

One thing I don't miss is the food bill from the grocery store.

But I guess I'd take twenty of those bills in one sitting than glancing around a fairly empty, quiet apartment with only a dog for company.

I sigh, and lean back into the couch, knees curling up in front of me. I wrap my arms around them, falling onto my side, hiding my face in a pillow. Taking a deep breath, I scream. Every word, every nickname, curse, resentment, lonely thought is put into that one scream, leaving me breathless. I sit back up, take another deep breath, and feel that hollowing in my chest again.

Maybe I really was depressed.

Missions were falling slack; Nightwing was taking leave from the Team, M'gann still wasn't too sure if I needed space or someone to talk to, Zatanna was giving me room to breathe, Kaldur and Roy were suffering majorly as well.

Hell, even Connor, Cadmus's greatest creation when it came to creating a creature with a total disregard to emotions, could tell I needed space in the end. He'd given me a wan smile, the tiniest of hugs, a light pat on the back, and an "it'll be okay," before backing off and rejoining M'gann and everyone else.

"Thinking about all of this is making me nauseous," I moaned out loud. Shutting my eyes and turning onto the opposite side, facing the back of the couch. "What I _need_ is a pint of ice cream, a hell-bent, gut-wringing, fantastic movie where all the characters do is kick ass, the dog to stop howling, and PEOPLE. I DON'T NEED SPACE!" I shouted, frustration echoing in my tone as I ran my hands through my hair, wringing the gold locks into tight bunches, knotting it to the point it looked like a rats nest.

A knock on the door startled me, a hesitant, soft little thing that made me blink, lowering my hands from my head and pushing myself up onto my knees.

Silence.

Then it came again, just the tiniest bit stronger, but still so faint that if I'd had the television on, I never would have heard it. I bite my lip, cocking my head, before waiting for the third knock. When it came, I sighed, moving to my feet and pulling at the loose sweatshirt covering my torso, straightening the gray yoga pants covering my legs, and pulling my hair into a loose bun, hoping it looked like I'd only just gotten out of bed instead of having a mental breakdown on the couch.

A fourth knock, and now I was getting frustrated as I made my way to the door. If it was some drunk-ass college guy from Stanford, come to hit on the emotionally-unstable girl who'd lost her boyfriend in a freak accident, an arrow was going where no man would want one to appear.

Ah, manhood. So easily crushed, like dreams of magical fairies, or wishes cast on a shooting star.

If wishing on a shooting star was really all it would take, I'd take Batmans rocket and fly myself to the moon and let myself be pulverized by an asteroid or a burning ball of hot gas flying through the earth's atmosphere, if it could bring him back.

Some super-star must have been looking out for me then, because when I twisted the knob open, I found myself staring into emerald green eyes, matched with a shock of red hair that spiked messily around his face.

Surprise would never be the word to cover what I was feeling in the thirty seconds since I'd opened the door.

After a minute of complete silence, he smiled, hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. A sleek black car hummed behind him, tinted windows up and hiding whoever was in the front seat.

"Hey," he rasped, before coughing into his hand and clearing his throat. "How's it going?" Been what, half a year now?"

My mouth had dropped open, horrified shock draining the color from my face as my hands fell slack at my sides. I didn't even blink, only stared at the image in front of me.

Wally pursed his lips, uncertainty showing on his face as he glanced at my expression, gaze shunting to the side. "Look, Artemis, I know it's a hell-of-a surprise to see me, but you could at least be happy, or smile, or say something. Shit, call me 'baywatch' at least and stop staring at me like a fish out of water.

My vision blurred, sinuses stinging to the point that if this wasn't real, that if this was some dream I'd made up in my head after falling asleep on the couch, I was done. Done with everything. With the Team, with the Justice League, with Stanford, with living by myself in the home we'd shared.

Reluctantly, I raised a hand, reaching out to touch his arm. His gaze met mine again at the touch, and my fingers curled around his shoulder. My lip trembled, and he gave that same sardonic smile that I'd fallen for, opening his arms. I fell into them, my own wrapping around his torso as I cried into his chest, sputtering each and every word that came to mind.

"This is real," I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut, arms tightening around him.

He responded by hugging my tighter as well, lips pressing against my forehead. "This is real, babe. I'm back."

"You're alive,"

"This is true. I'm hoping Barry never said I was dead."

"B-but, you, you disappeared…! Barry and Bart saw you!"

"This is true, too. The kinetic energy in the end was too much for my body to hand, so it separated. Surprisingly, it was like being sucked into a zeta beam but being forced to stay in that state, where you didn't even had a solid form, I was just a million little particles floating through space in a condensed cloud of fog. When Dick found me – "

"Wait, Dick found you? When?!" I pulled away, lifting my face to stare into his eyes again, brows narrowing.

He laughed nervously, raising a hand to scratch his cheek. "About a week ago…"

"A week…! What the HELL Wally?! You've been in existence for an entire WEEK and you just now –"

"Babe, Artemis, listen. I would have come sooner, God I would have. But when Dick found me, I could hardly remember his name, nonetheless walk. I've been in the Watchtower the entire time, stuck in a hospital bed, hooked up to IV's, with Barry threatening to kill me for scaring him like that before being dragged away by ol' Bats. One morning, I woke up, and Dick was there, in all his secret-identity-hidden-by-sunglasses glory, grinning at me like the biggest idiot, and I remembered everything."

"That's not far from the truth actually," a voice said behind me, making me jump.

The top of my head rammed into Wally's jaw and he stumbled backwards, muttering curses at his best friend and in my direction as I turned on my heel, ignoring the sudden rush of pain.

Dick stood against the wall behind me, the pit bull at his side, panting happily, blue eyes twinkling from a sarcastic smirk adorning his lips.

"Richard Grayson, you ASSHOLE." I growled, fingers flexing into claws.

He gave a short laugh, one that reminded me of the thirteen-year-old hacker I'd first met five years ago who came up with ridiculous catch-phrases. He raised his hands, an innocent – yet somehow still infuriating – expression on his face. "Guilty as charged," he laughed.

I gnawed at my bottom lip, narrow gaze set upon the protégé in front of me before flickering to the red-headed speedster who had moved to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I sighed resignedly, shoulders slumping in defeat. All of a sudden, I felt exhausted, even more-so than when I'd opened the door to the one guy I could never stop thinking about.

"Is this seriously not a dream?" I finally said in a low voice. "If it is, or this is some weird kind of hologram, or Cadmus experiment, Richard Grayson, your manly pride will cease to exist."

Both boys looked at me incredulously, before their expressions softened. I would be always be Artemis, however caustic, murderous, content, or broken I appeared.

"Yeah, this isn't a dream. It's real life, and the Wall of Stupid is still your boyfriend. He's just as dense as he was before, and may still forget yet another Valentine's Day." Dick confirmed once again, grinning as he crossed his arms.

Wally snorted, squeezing my shoulder. "I'm back, and I'm here to stay, no other choice or option."

I could feel the remains of my fury dissipate, heart swelling with love, adoration, and…fulfillment, for lack of a better word. My life wasn't a cup half full as I took in the sight of my boyfriend – the one guy I'd ever want, ever need – and our best friend.

"So, how'd the rest of the team react?" I finally asked, crossing my arms with a smile. "Or have they not seen you yet?"

The guys exchanged a look, both visibly paling, Dick tugging at the collar of his shirt nervously. All the answer I really needed.

"…oh…" one said.

"…shit…" the other finished.

This time, I laughed, a genuine peal of bells that made Wally blush and Dick wish that he'd brought his camera.

Maybe there really was something to wishing on stars.

* * *

DAMN this is a lot longer than I'd initially thought I'd make it out to be, holy crap!

I had fun writing this though, despite its utter lack of fluff...though it had its moments towards the end I guess.

If you can't tell, I really miss Young Justice.

And this crazy little thing called Spitfire.

There was a whole lot of angst and heartbreak in season 2 when there should have been a continuation filled with questions being answered, lives being changed for the better,  
certain speedsters making surprise appearances that sends the fangirls swooning,  
all that junk.

( just so you know, I ship Spitfire, Zatanna and Nightwing, M'gann and Connor, and oddly enough Wonderbeetle.  
How the crap did Cassie end up with Tim? )

Well, hoped you guys liked! It's after midnight as I'm writing this, so I apologize for any mistakes!

If you liked it, please review! And feel free to submit ideas, I'll be more than happy to work on some :)

See you around!

~ Aoi~


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Aoi here! So sorry for the wait!  
I know I know, those of you who've been wanting another chapter have been waiting...a while (I'm too lazy to see how long it's been)  
BUT summer is here, and I'll do my best to keep up!  
Thanks to everyone who has favorited / watched, and I hope you like this chapter! =D

* * *

The Last Olympian

Amidst the boisterous clamorings of metal, Artemis had about five seconds before she knew she was going to die.

She stared down the barrel of the gun, feeling as if her heart was about to stop altogether or lunge out of her chest in an Olympic dive to the ground.

Either way, she was toast.

Her bow lay broken on the floor, the string snapped in half. Arrows were sprawled across the factory floor, covered in dirt, expanding foam arrow heads smashed underfoot as the rest of the team fought off their attackers.

Artemis didn't realize how cowardly her dad truly was if he'd actually resorted to using a stupid gun to kill her, but she was down to three seconds. She didn't have time to ponder something so useless.

"You know, you could've been a great vanguard to the Light," Sportsmaster said, that cocky-ass grin of his turning up one corner of his mouth. The hockey mask he usually wore was sprawled across the floor behind him, dented after taking a hit from Aqualad's water mace.

Two seconds.

"You would've made me proud."

_Like THAT ever would've happened..._ Artemis thought.

One second.

Panic seized the blonde archer and she lunged just as her father pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed her leg, cutting open the green fabric and Artemis inwardly shrieked, her thigh turning to fire. She rolled to a stop, just a few feet from her broken bow. She lurched into a standing position, trying to move forward.

Sportsmaster fired again, and Artemis dropped.

Another blast, and she felt the bullet connect with her shoulder. Tear through the flesh and bone in her arm - run cleanly through to the other side and out. Blood spurt into her vision, and all Artemis could see was red.

If she hadn't been so shell-shocked, Artemis was sure she would have been screaming in agony.

The faint blurs of a yellow and red suit zipped along the cat-walk overhead. Wally skidded to a stop, emerald eyes wide with panic.

"Artemis!" he seemed to cry, but the archer couldn't hear him. She stumbled, her vision blurring.

Artemis's hearing faded in and out - a bomb could have gone off somewhere behind her and she would have only heard a puff of air.

Another burning pain, zipping past her leg. A poison dart, slick black with venom, and Artemis teetered; she fell onto her side.

Superboy lunged at Bane.

M'Gann was facing a bunch of the muscle-mans goons, whipping them into walls. She could have been a mother scolding her children for digging up the flower bed, except Artemis was sure mothers didn't throw their children at slabs of cement.

Robin cackled maniacally, sprinting around the Joker as the green haired man chortled. "Time to clip a little birdies wings! Tee-hee!"

Zatanna zapped Poison Ivy off a pedestal of vines.

A buzzing ran through Artemis ears, as if a fly had flown too close, and she felt the urge to swat it away.

Her eyes grew heavy - an explosion rocked the building, jolting her awake.

The Team had won, Sportsmaster and Bane were gone, but the Joker and Poison Ivy were in custody.

A blur of red and yellow, and then she was lifted into the air. Artemis couldn't tell if she let out a moan or not. All she could see was the frightened green eyes above her, set above a spattering of freckles with a mop of messy red hair to boot.

"You're going to be okay...! Artemis, you're fine! You'll be alright! Just stay with me...okay...?!"

Artemis groaned, or at least she hoped she did. Black spots danced in her vision, and she knew that she was fading fast.

"M'Gann, get us out of here!"

"I have to be careful! Too much turbulence could be bad for Artemis, Wally! The BioShip is doing the best it can to protect her while getting us back to the cave."

Artemis coughed and opened her eyes. She hadn't even realized they had closed, but the blurry vision wasn't any better. Her breath felt shallow, lungs heavy in her chest. Her heart may as well have been a brick in her chest. Her throat felt like it was about to capsize. Every inch of her body felt like it was folding in on itself, as if she'd dove too deep under water and the pressure was crushing her.

Wally sat next to her bed, eyes wide and panicked. Artemis choked and the speedster jolted, helping her sit up, laying her head on his lap.

"Artemis...Artemis! You've got to stay awake okay?"

_It's hard not to with your annoying voice as an alarm clock, Baywatch,_ she tried to say, but it only came out like a gurgle.

"No! Don't speak! Save your energy."

_No shit Sherlock..._

"We'll make it back to the cave! Ol' Bats and my uncle are there! They'll fix you up. You've just got to STAY AWAKE."

_But I REALLY don't want to,_ Artemis grumbled to herself.

The black spots were back, and Artemis realized she couldn't feel her legs, nor her fingers. She tried to sit up, to see if they were there, but ended up coughing, blood spattering across the floor of the BioShip.

"Artemis...!" Wally gasped.

Saliva and blood dripped over the archer's lips.

"Wally..." she rasped.

"Landing now! Get Artemis prepared to move Wally!"

"Artemis! Stay with me!"

"Sorry...Baywatch..."

And the darkness took over Artemis's senses, and she seemed to float there in oblivion.

Artemis decided that with death, she just might miss a certain cocky, smart-ass, green-eyed speedster in a bright yellow costume.

* * *

WELP THAT WAS A DOOZY.

Barfed out in an hour flat that was.

But not posted until about five days later OTL

I honest to God hate killing off characters I adore, and Artemis and Wally are most definitely NOT the exceptions.

Please R&R! Feel free to suggest topics for the next chapter ;P

~Aoi~


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh wow! QoQ**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed / watched / added this story to their favorites!**

**I wasn't expecting so many... *crying***

**Have another chapter, you amazing people! *throws fanfic at you***

**As by request - thank you user keepmovingforwar :D - here's an alt. ending to the previous chapter!**

**and so I don't forget this  
DISCLAIMER - YJ is not mine. Though it should not belong in the hands of murderers either.**

* * *

Another End, Another Story

* * *

"Wally..." she rasped.

"Landing now! Get Artemis prepared to move Wally!"

"Artemis! Stay with me!"

"Sorry...Baywatch..."

Artemis's head fell back, her eyes closed, and Wally did the only thing he could do. He ran like his life depended on it. Which, in a way, it did – being that his teammate was literally dying in his arms. The BioShip's hatch opened and Wally sprinted to the infirmary. Batman and Uncle Barry had already set up an operation table and Wally almost slipped – thank God he didn't drop Artemis – and laid her down.

"Help her!" he shouted. Batman's gaze hardened – the mask made it hard to tell, but the eyes of his cowl seemed to narrow – and Uncle Barry stared at him in surprise.

"We'll do what we can, kid. Go wait with the rest of your friends."

"But –"

"Wally," his uncle's voice was stern, with that hint of remorse hidden at the edge of it, like he was already preparing to tell his nephew that Artemis hadn't made it. "Go wait with the rest of your team. Robin should be calling Green in, and I'd imagine Roy and Black Canary will be coming in too. You need to explain what happened, and you need to take a breather. Go on outside."

No matter how illogical it would have been for Wally to stay there, to make sure Artemis made it through, he knew Uncle Barry was right. Pulling the cowl away from his face, his mouth set in a thin line, Wally nodded and left the room.

It was like babysitting a bunch of children.

Connor couldn't sit still, and ended up sparring with Kaldur to get his mind off the current situation. It would be a total and blatant lie if the Atlantian said that he didn't need to clear his head either.

M'Gann was wrought with panic, zipping back and forth from the kitchen, always coming back empty handed. She'd end up staring at the broken green compound bow lying on the table in the make-shift living room. Zatanna had come as quickly as she could, and did her best at comforting the martian as well as anybody else.

Robin was uncharacteristically quiet, and sat with his head in his hands, his black hair mussed and standing up on end.

Wally was…anxious. There couldn't have been a better word for how he appeared. His expression was strained – he'd changed out of uniform and now wore a white t-shirt with baggy gray sweatpants – and was currently staring at the ceiling.

"Guys, Artemis will be fine." Roy said from across the room. The archer crossed his arms, not meeting their gaze. "She's too stubborn to die," he added, with a slight scowl curling his mouth. "I don't think anybody else was that ready for a fight, and she knew the consequences. The worst case scenario happened and her bow broke and she was defenseless against Sportsmaster who – might I remind you – had a _gun_. It was a miracle she survived that long."

"Shut up Roy," Zatanna, Wally, and Robin barked at the same time.

The Boy Wonder shot his friend an apologetic grin, but it failed and he ended up standing to go change out of his uniform as well.

Connor and Kaldur returned in their absence – both sporting a few newly swollen blue bruises – and the Atlantian appeared to have returned to his calm demeanor. SB at least looked glad for the momentary distraction.

Returning in his normal clothes, Robin looked around the room and smiled. "Artemis is going to be fine," he said.

Everyone visibly relaxed and M'Gann wiped tears from her eyes, grinning. Roy scoffed and left the room, heading to the infirmary.

"That's great to hear. How'd the surgery go?" Zatanna said, rising from her chair.

"The bullets passed straight through. It'll take time for her to heal, and she's off missions for at least a month, maybe more. Green's with her now; she'll be spending the night here, but she might go home with him." Robin's gaze landed on a certain red-headed speedster, and he grinned.

"Artemis says thanks," Robin added, smirking. "She doesn't remember everything, but she remembers that you stayed with her. She wanted me to thank you."

Wally was too stunned to reply, and rose from the couch, walking towards the kitchen before pausing and turning to go towards the infirmary instead.

"Wait, why isn't Artemis going to her own house?" M'Gann said.

Robin's face darkened only for a second before the expression seemed to disappear. "Her home life hasn't been that great lately. Artemis and her mom had a fight the other day, and Artemis was waiting for her mom to cool off. She'd been staying here for two weeks, but she'll need supervision as she heals, and staying at Mt. Justice isn't exactly the best idea if we're trying to keep her from missions."

M'Gann's eyes were wide, but she nodded. "She'd constantly insist she was okay, and then we'd be forced to send her home; that or she'd find some sort of trouble to deal with herself."

Robin shrugged. "That's about it."

* * *

Wally stood outside of the infirmary, peering around the corner. Oliver sat next to Artemis's bed, Roy standing behind his former mentor, and was holding on to his new prodigy's hand.

"Oliver, I'm fine, Batman said so himself. You know he wouldn't lie to you about that." Artemis said with a sigh, her voice raspy. Shadows circled under her eyes, and her face was pale, but that familiar scowl that Wally had the privilege to become acquainted with was spread across her face.

Grateful for her uncle's company, but wishing he'd leave her be.

"Green, she's not lying on her deathbed anymore. Let's just let her get some rest," Roy said, acting uncharacteristically polite.

Artemis looked as surprised as Wally must have been, because she actually gave Roy a small, grateful smile, and her teammate and mentor left the room.

Roy met Wally in the hallway and patted the speedster on the back.

"Good luck," he said, remembering Wally and Artemis's past arguments. "I was in there for not even ten minutes and I wanted to strangle her."

Wally snorted and stepped inside the room. Artemis had leaned back against the headboard, her eyes closed, breathing shallow. When the doors closed behind him, she opened her eyes and sat straight, surprised to see him.

"Hi," Wally said quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Hi," Artemis rasped.

The two were silent for a minute and Wally rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Artemis paused. "A glass of water would be nice. And my phone, if you could grab it for me."

Wally dipped his head in a nod and sped out of the room. The doors didn't even have time to close when he slid to a stop, glass and phone in hand.

"Thanks," Artemis gave a half grin, taking both from him.

Another moment of silence as Artemis scrolled through her phone, taking a sip from the water. She made a call and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hi," she said. "Yeah, it's me. No, I'm fine. I just ran into some trouble, and it looks like I won't be home soon. I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted you to know that. Yeah…okay, bye."

She hung up the phone and laid it on her nightstand.

"Well that was short," Wally noted, taking the seat Green had before him.

"There's not much to say right now," she retorted, taking another drink of water.

"So what did ol' Bats and my uncle say? Any broken bones?"

Artemis shook her head. "A few stitches, a hell of a lot of bandages and medicine, and constant rest and supervision. I should be back on my feet by the end of the week."

"But no missions."

Artemis's expression darkened. "Yeah, no missions."

"Well you just need some rest. You'll be back at it soon enough."

Artemis snorted. "Thanks for the water by the way. The medicine was making me loopy enough."

Wally gave a short laugh. "Sure. Any time."

Artemis played with the sheets, mouth setting in a pout. "Listen…I'm sorry you had to take care of me. I probably caused you guys a lot of trouble just because the mission went sour on my end."

Wally leaned forward. "Hey, that's not your fault. You did the best you could."

"But it really wasn't enough."

"Artemis, listen to yourself. You're not a machine – you can't keep going forever. You're just as human as the rest of us – one of us could have ended up in the exact same situation."

Artemis refused to meet his gaze, gritting her teeth.

"Artemis, I realize it's hard to let people into your life. Robin told me about what's going on with you and your mom," Artemis stiffened, turning a pair of stormy gray eyes on him in a glare, "but you really need to let people take care of you sometimes."

"Wally – "

The speedster in question held up a hand. "I know, I know. 'I don't need the help. I don't need the protection. I'll do my part in the mission, you do yours'. I get it. But you need to learn that people aren't going to follow that exact motto – they WILL throw themselves in the line of fire to save you or anyone else that they can. A team is meant to fight together, not individually. We weren't going to let you take that fall and NOT take care of you. That's what friends are for."

Artemis's eyes went wide and Wally realized what he'd said.

_Did I just call Artemis my friend…?_

Looking at her, sitting in the bed half-mummified, Wally realized with a start that he had. And she was. No matter how much they argued and bickered, and constantly threatened to throw the other off a cliff, they were friends.

"Yeah, we're friends," Wally said aloud this time, as if he had to reassure himself just as much he to convince her.

"Well…"Artemis started, turning away. "That changes things."

"What?"

Artemis shook her head. "Never mind. Thanks again; you should probably be heading out. It's getting pretty late."

Wally checked the time and inwardly groaned. "Yeah I guess. Wait, hang on…" Wally pulled out his phone, calling his parents. "Hey, it's me. Sorry for calling so late, but something came up. Is it okay if I stay at Mt. Justice tonight?" Wally grinned. "Yeah, sorry again; thanks. Good night mom."

"So you're staying here tonight." Artemis said with a dramatic sigh. "How will I ever live with the guilt of dragging you away from your family?"

Wally chuckled, moving towards the door. "You'll just have to make it up to me. I'll be down the hall if you need me. Night Artemis."

Artemis arched an eyebrow. "Night Wally."

_Make it up to him…?"_

It wasn't until late that night, as Wally lay in his bed, that he realized what he'd said exactly.

"Oh my God…" Wally wheezed, feeling as if he'd had the breath knocked out of him. "I really hope she didn't think anything about that."

But of course, she did. And she held it over his head as blackmail for months to come.

* * *

**Happy ending?**

**I think YES. *heavenly choir*  
****And it was long too... *shakes head*  
****You all are SO spoiled.****  
**

**I hope to add more to this set of drabbles guys!  
Thanks to everyone!  
(let's all pray for another season guys, Wally CAN'T be dead. I refuse.)**

**If you want to see a certain themes come to life, send them in!  
It's hard coming up with ideas for these guys without breaking down xD;**

**Read and Review please! =w=**

**~Aoi~**


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